The Europe of South America

Argentina is the 4th largest country in America, after Canada, the U.S., and Brazil, and it provides an important cultural and economic connection for all of South America. Its vast and varied territory includes arctic regions in the south, forested jungle regions, the ocean coastline on the Atlantic, and mountains in the west. Then of course there is the large and vibrant city of Buenos Aires, which means Argentina has something for everyone in terms of urban entertainment, rural outings, nature-watching, mountain trekking and coastal activities.

The Argentine economy is historically unstable and has been tossed around in recent years. In fact, in a period of two months the presidency changed five times. Under president Nestor Kirchner, the economy recovered strongly since bottoming out in 2002. His wife Cristina was elected to succeed him in 2007 and she is attempting to maintain the recovery, with mixed results due to the worldwide economic recession. Overall, however, Argentina has maintained a reasonably strong economy and prospects for the future are still bright.

The Argentinian population is a fusion of diverse national and ethnic groups, mostly of European origin. In fact, Argentina is known as the Europe of South America due to the European influence on architecture, ambiance, and culture. Argentinians are mostly descendents of Italian and Spanish immigrants, but there are also Syrian, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern immigrants. The country respects its multi-cultural heritage by being one of the most open countries to immigration and to diversity in its population.

The Argentine people themselves are formal, passionate, and fun-loving, and their famous tango dancing attracts visitors from all over the world to watch and learn. Argentina's culture of openness is known world-wide, and foreigners are particularly attracted to the country these days for schooling, retirement, or simply to live and work, because of the open, inviting culture and also because the cost of living is still quite low because of the devaluation of the peso.

Argentina is characterized as:

Multi-cultural | Argentina is a land of immigrants. Most Argentinians are descendents of Italian and Spanish immigrants, but Syrian, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern immigrants are also well represented in the population.

Possessing a strong-economy | Despite the worldwide recession, Argentina looks to have structured its economy well enough in recent years to be able to maintain its strength through this downturn.

Having a history of political turbulence | Since December 2001, five presidents have come and gone in Argentina.